Forged Through Fire
by FirearmPrime
Summary: Being chosen as the escorts to a young woman heading to Earth was supposed to be an honor. With the peacekeeping force of Gjallarhorn raining down on the Third Group of the Chryse Guard Security, Nashiko couldn't see how it could be considered that. I suck at summaries but please give it a chance! Rated to be safe! Please fave, follow, and review! Orga ItsukaXOC
1. Iron and Blood

**A/N: Hey everyone! So I've been obsessed with this anime since the moment I saw it! I know there isn't a large collection of stories on here so I thought I would add one of my own! I'm extremely nervous to post it… it would mean the world to me if you guys would fave, follow, and review to let me know if I should continue it or not… I've been agonizing between posting it and not so please let me know what you think! :D**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Nashiko Harade!**

 **XXX**

Growing up on Mars wasn't as weird as one would think. Nashiko Harada had never known anything different. She'd grown up on the streets for a few years before she became a part of Chryse Guard Security (or CGS)… well, not really a part of… more like belongs too. She, and many others she'd grown up with, were just property to most, if not all, of the adults. Luckily, she had amazing friends with her. Mikazuki Augus and Orga Itsuka were her best friends; they'd grown up on the streets together until the older boy had the _brilliant_ plan to join the CGS. Orga and Mikazuki were easily accepted by the adults, Nashiko had to work for their approval. No girl had ever tried to join so, to get accepted, she agreed to get the surgery done for the Alaya-Vijnana System. If she survived, she would be a part of CGS.

Getting the surgery helped the three of them form a tight bond. Even after getting the implant, known as a 'whisker', the adults banned her from using the Mobile Workers. The Mobile Worker was a piece of equipment that could be used to transport materials or be used in a combat situation. They use the Alaya-Vijnana System as a man-machine interface, it allows the pilot to connect with the Mobile Worker's computer and immediately process the data.

Being the only girl to have a 'whisker', the adults wanted her to "stay safe". She was invaluable to them, unlike the rest of boys that she grown to know. Of course, being told no just meant that Orga and Mikazuki would find a way to do the opposite. Late at night, the two of them took Nashiko out to learn how to use a Mobile Worker. Having the 'whisker' meant that she didn't need much practice; she was quickly able to figure it out.

As they grew, Mikazuki and Nashiko became like siblings while she and Orga became something more. It was a transition that neither one of them had saw coming. It happened in a pretty funny and shocking way. Orga was going out to work before he turned to Nashiko and pressed a kiss to her lips. He had turned and walked a few feet away before he froze, realizing what he'd done. Turning back, he was about to apologize when he noticed the small, shy, happy smile on her face. Together, they decided to roll with it, giving a relationship a try. They'd been together ever since, five years ago.

Their relationship remained a secret from the adults running CGS. They wanted to move her away from the Third Group but, knowing how close she'd become to not only Mikazuki but Orga (who had recently taken the place of leader of the group), made it near impossible to take her. They looked for anything they could use as leverage, which is why the relationship was never spoken about around or among the adults.

 **XXX**

"Found him." Nashiko said to Mikazuki as they walked into the (supposedly) secret hanger. They walked over to the older teen, who was laying on the platform at the feet of a large Mobile Suit. The Suit was being used for its Ahab Reactor to power the entire CGS base. She smiled when she saw that Orga was sound asleep, his face and body language relaxed. Nashiko knelt down at his side while Mikazuki stood behind her. She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Orga." She spoke and a moment later, his golden eyes snapped open to look over at them.

"Hey, Mika, Nashi."

"Hey yourself. You're slacking off again." Mikazuki said as Orga sat up. Nashiko moved to sit next to the older teen. "Imagine if they find us again." Using his right hand, Orga scratched the left side of his ribs, smiling at Mizasuki.

"I know." He said before turning his attention to Nashiko. Her black hair was cut to mid-shoulder blades and was almost always pulled back into a braid to keep it out of her face while she worked. It didn't stop many of the fly-away strands, which fell around her face or out of the braid itself but at least she was able to see when she was working. Many of the boys thought her eyes were an extremely unique feature. Her right eye was a soft green while her left was a light hazel. She smiled at the older boy as he leaned over and pressed a kiss to her lips.

"Is he over there?" A voice yelled from the doorway, causing Nashiko and Orga to pull away. It was easy to see that it was Nadi Yukinojo Kassapa. He was the head mechanic and one of the only adults to actually treat the kids and teenagers like people rather than property.

"Yes." Mikazuki answered as Orga and Nashiko stood up.

"What's up, old man?" Orga asked as he put his left hand into the pocket of his cargo pants and took Nashiko's with his right.

"Don't ask me that. Maruba is calling." Nadi answered as the three of them walked towards him, Orga and Nashiko side-by-side with Mikazuki a few steps behind them.

"The president is?" The older boy asked.

"I told you not to come in here." Nadi said when the two older teenagers were closer to him.

"But it's warm here all year." Orga answered and Nashiko rolled her eyes. She glanced over her shoulder at Mikazuki, who had stopped to look back at the Mobile Suit. That one machine was powering all of the CGS. There was no chance that a Mobile Worker could do that. They seemed so different and she'd never even sat in a Mobile Suit before.

"Gosh." Nadi said, scratching the back of his head. Nashiko could feel eyes on her but she didn't turn her gaze away from Mikazuki. "This engine room is top secret."

"Mika, let's go." Orga said, turning to yell at the younger boy.

"Okay." He answered immediately, making his way over to them.

 **XXX**

With Orga going to see what the President wanted from him and Mikazuki running drills in the Mobile Workers with some other pilots, Nashiko took a chance to just hang out and watch. She really didn't do anything in CGS, some light lifting and a lot of working in the kitchen (both things she hated). She felt useless doing things like that, which is why she enjoyed working on the mechanics of the Mobile Workers and piloting them as well. Being able to read and write, a rare occurrence among many of the children, made her even more valuable to the CGS. It also helped when it came to working on the Mobile Workers late at night. She sat on top of a Mobile Worker, smiling as Mikazuki easily dodged the paint balls from the other pilot's machines. He was impressive for such a young pilot. Turning her head when she heard yelling, she watched a man hit one of the younger boys. His name was Takaki Uno and he was one of her favorite boys. She clenched her fists, she wanted to intervene…

Once the training was over, it was time for lunch. Nashiko stripped off her jacket as she sat down, tying it around her waist, leaving her in a tank top, a pair of cargo pants, and a pair of knee high combat boots. Once she'd settled into her seat, Orga pushed a bowl towards her. She offered him a smile and a kiss on the cheek as she grabbed the bowl and spoon, pulling it closer to her so she could start eating. Eugene Sevenstark, Norba Shino, and Mikazuki were sitting across the table from the couple as Orga explained their next mission. They were escort a young woman to Earth apparently.

"We're going to escort the Young Miss?" Eugene asked.

"She must smell so nice, right Mikazuki?" Shino said to the younger boy and Nashiko raised an eyebrow before going back to her food. Eugene scoffed at the other boy.

"She is human like us, so she wouldn't be any different." Mikazuki answered before taking another bite of his food. Orga smiled at the younger boy, leaning his head on one of his hands. Shino made a sound of shock.

"Forget it, Mikazuki isn't hungry for girls." Another boy said that came over to the table. Nashiko's eyes drifted to Takaki when he came up behind Mikazuki with a tray of water. He had a bandage over his cheek to cover the wound now. Taking the last bite of her stew, she pushed it away. There was still a couple spoonfuls in the bottom but she wasn't hungry anymore. Orga closed his right eye in annoyance at Takaki's 'it always happens' comment before turning his head to look at Nashiko's bowl.

"You're not hungry?" He asked. They'd been together long enough, five years now, that Orga is always trying to make sure that she eats and drinks enough and staying out of trouble, even if that means he's taking the brunt of any and all discipline. The others would do it for her as well but Orga was constantly doing it. She shook her head, leaning over to rest her head on his shoulder. Around the others, they don't show a lot of PDA. Their friends don't tease them too much but it's more about the adults. It was a constant worry that if they found out Orga and Nashiko had a relationship, they would try send her somewhere else.

"You know, rather than the smooth-talking employees, the president takes note of our strength, after all." Eugene said, drawing Orga's attention from the girl to him. "And with this, we'll overtake the employees and be First Corps."

"No matter how senile old man Maruba gets, he views us as expendable, so he'll never think much of us." Orga said to him, tapping Nashiko's spoon against the side of the bowl. Eugene glared at the other boy. There had always been a rivalry between the two of them since Orga joined CGS and quickly worked his way to be leader of the Third Group, kicking Eugene out of that place.

"Isn't it because you're this way and you're the Third Group leader that we're still treated like this?"

"Stop it, Eugene." Biscuit said from the other side of Orga. Nashiko liked the boy. He was only a year younger than she saw, sixteen to her seventeen, but he was wiser beyond his years more often than not. She could assume that was why he was Orga's second-in-command. Of course, she was his third.

"Shut up, Biscuit. You stay quiet." Eugene said, turning his glare to the other boy, who like Orga, seemed unaffected by it. Nashiko hid a smile in Orga's jacket as Mikazuki reached up and grabbed Eugene's ear, pulling his head towards him. She could see the tears welling up in his eyes from how hard the younger boy was pulling.

"A fight, Eugene?" Mikazuki asked. "I don't like it."

"You're gonna tear it off." Eugene said and Nashiko could hear him trying not to cry.

"This isn't a fight, right guys?" Orga asked.

"Of course." Eugeneagreed, hoping to get Mikazuki to let go of his ear. Nashiko and Orga both turned their heads when someone moved behind them.

"Sorry, Akihiro, for being so rowdy." Orga apologized to the other boy.

"It always is." He said as he was walking away. Nashiko watched him walk for a moment before turning back to Mikazuki and Eugene. She could hear Orga grunt lightly before pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

 **XXX**

Hours passed and everyone did their own things to prepare for the departure to Earth. Nashiko had been working with Nadi to make sure that any and all equipment that they would be taking with them was going to work. She smiled when she felt a hand on her hip, turning her head, she saw Orga walking towards Nadi.

"How is everything going?" He asked but before Nadi could answer, Nashiko closed the panel of the Mobile Worker she was working on before walking towards them.

"Done." She said and older man nodded, typing onto his tablet.

"Well, that's it for all of the checking of the equipment we're taking." He said to Nashiko and Orga.

"Good job." Orga said, smiling at both Nadi and Nashiko.

"So the Kudelia comes tomorrow?" He asked the younger boy.

"Yeah, and we leave the day after tomorrow. It'll be about 5 months to go to Earth and back." While Orga spoke, Nashiko couldn't help but take in his appearance. He wasn't wearing his jacket or the red scarf that was always around his neck. He was just in a tank top, his cargo pants, and his boots. He was muscular from all of the physical activity that he does around CGS and the jobs he goes on. One feature that Nashiko always hones in on when he's without his jacket is the scar on his left arm. She'd met him shortly after it happened and proceeded to help him take care of it. Nashiko turned her attention back to the conversation when Nadi chuckled, talking about Orga getting the 'whiskers' and getting punched for being cheeky.

"Well, he's always cheeky so…" Nashiko said as she came to stand next to her boyfriend. Orga smiled as he threw an arm over her shoulders, pulling her in closer to him.

"Crying would get you hit too." Orga said to Nadi, who he had turned his attention back to. What they loved about Nadi was that not only did he actually treat them like people; he didn't care about Orga and Nashiko's relationship. Usually, he encourages it. He wants the both of them to have some happiness in their lives. "In any case, we Third Group members are either toys to relieve stress or human shields." Nadi blew the smoke out of his mouth, looking at Nashiko.

"You know, there's one more thing I need for you to check." She blinked but nodded.

"Okay." Nadi gave her directions, something she thought she'd done before but she pressed a kiss to Orga's jaw (the only thing she could reach with their height difference) before pushing away from him to do her task. Orga watched her walk, a small smile on his face.

"But even after everything, I still have my pride. I can't show my weakness." Orga continued speaking. Nashiko stopped about halfway to where she was going, now one-hundred percent sure that she had already done what Nadi asked. She turned and began to make her way back towards them.

"To Mikazuki and Nashiko?" Nadi asked and the girl stopped. She was still behind a Mobile Worker so neither of them had seen her. She could hear Orga huff a breath through his nose. "It must be tough, Captain." She could hear Nadi's metal foot step on the ground, presumably to put out the cigarette he was smoking. Nashiko leaned against the Mobile Worker, smiling slightly at Orga thinking he had to hide something from her. She'd already seen him at his highest highs and his lowest lows. There wasn't much he was "hiding" from her.

 **XXX**

The next day rolled around and that involved Nashiko, Orga, Biscuit, Eugene, and Mikazuki meeting Kudelia for the first time. Orga knocked on the office door and when they were given permission to come in, they all stepped inside and stood at attention, their feet were shoulder-width apart with their hands clasped behind their backs. They were all wearing their CGS jackets, cargo pants, and boots. Nashiko took a moment to look at the girl sitting on the couch. She had long blonde hair and bright viloet eyes. She was wearing a red and white dress with a black ribbon tied around her neck. She managed to suppress her jump when Orga spoke from beside her. "Orga Itsuka and four others from the Third Group reporting in."

"Yes, these are the boys who will escort you…" The president said, blatantly ignoring Nashiko's presence. She narrowed her eyes but kept them straight ahead at the wall. When the girl stood, Nashiko's eyes flickered to her before she trained them back to their previous location.

"Nice to meet you, I am Kudelia Aina Bernstein." The room went silent.

"Yeah." Orga said to her.

"Hey there, I…" Eugene began before the President spoke.

"Can't you even greet someone properly?"

"Unbelievable." A guard said from the president's side.

"Now about the plans from now…" The president began but the girl, Kudelia, wasn't even listening.

"You." She said to Mikazuki. She stepped over and stood directly in front of him. "What's your name?"

"I am Mikazuki Augus." He answered.

"Can you show me around, Mikazuki?" She asked. Both Mikazuki and the president seemed confused. "Fumitan, I will leave this up to you." She spoke again.

"Understood." The other woman said from the couch. Mikazuki left with the girl before Nashiko turned back to listen to their plans.

 **XXX**

The day turned to night and Nashiko tried to sleep but the small uncomfortable bunk wasn't cutting it. Orga wasn't back yet either. With a sigh, she stood up and threw a jacket over her black sports bra before carefully making her way towards the door, careful not to step on any of the boys sleeping on the floor. Once outside, she walked around for a little while before she found Biscuit, who was also looking for Orga. A few more minutes of searching found the older boy. Nashiko walked over to him and sat down. He turned his head to her, offering her a small smile.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" He asked but held his arm out for Nashiko to slide closer.

"I should be but you weren't there." She explained quietly. When she first got her 'whisker', she would almost always get nightmares. The only way those seemed to stop was if Orga was asleep beside her. Now, the nightmares have long since passed but she'd gotten so used to the older boy sleeping with her, it was hard for her to fall asleep without him there. She felt Orga lean his head against hers before pressing a kiss to the same spot, turning his head slightly as Biscuit came over. He had given them a moment of privacy before making his way towards them.

"You can't sleep, Orga?" The other boy asked him.

"You neither, Biscuit? It's just too suspicious." Orga answered.

"Indeed. She herself is only a bit naïve girl, but her birth and status are real. She's so important that even Gjallahorn could directly act. Then why chose our small company?"

"In any case, we have no choice. Even if it is a trap, we'll crush them, trap and all." Orga began to stand when he noticed how limp Nashiko was against him. Glancing at her face, he saw that she was fast asleep. He smiled and Biscuit chuckled slightly. With his help, Orga was able to pick the girl up bridal style and began to carry her back to the room.

"Orga!" Biscuit said, getting his attention. He turned his head and saw, in the sky, a flare. That meant that someone was coming towards the base.

"Nashiko." Orga said to the girl in his arms, shaking her slightly. She blinked her eyes open a few times before he sat her back on her feet, holding her arm to keep her from falling until she was a little more awake. "We're under attack." He answered before she could ask. Suddenly, she was wide awake. She nodded as she and Orga made their way to the hanger. Once inside, Orga threw Nashiko his shirt and tied his jacket around his waist, asking Eugene what the situation was. Nashiko grabbed Orga's adapter and walked up behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder as she pressed it to the 'whisker'. When she heard it click into place, she took of her own jacket, handing her adapter to him. He looked down at it before looking at her back.

"Just in case." She answered, pulling her braid out of the way. Orga nodded hesitantly before attaching the adapter. She put her jacket back on before turning back to face him. While she did pilot the Mobile Workers, it wasn't something that Orga wanted her doing in battle. She was good when it came to the drills but a real life battle was so much more different.

"What are you doing?" A voice said. They all turned to see one of the commanders and a man named Todo walking towards them. "You all have to attack the enemy head on, Third Group!"

"Do you know who the enemy is?" Orga asked him as he turned to fully face them.

"They're…" The man paused, as if unsure what he should say. "They're Gjallarhorn." The teenagers were all shocked.

"Why Gjallarhorn?" Eugene asked from where he was sitting on his Mobile Worker.

"How would I know?" The commander answered.

"Never mind that! Just deploy!" Todo said to them.

"What will First Corps, our Main Forces, be doing?" Nashiko asked the men.

"How do we coordinate?" Orga asked and both men looked surprised by their questions.

"We will attack from the rear. A pincer attack." The taller man said but he refused to look at them. Nashiko had a feeling that he wasn't telling the truth. Orga closed his right eye in annoyance and that told Nashiko all she needed to know, he wasn't believing them either. "So until then, you hold off the enemy."

"You got that?" Todo asked as they turned and left.

"Darn. I guess we have to go." Eugene slid inside of the Mobile Worker, closing the hatch behind him.

"I'm detecting an Ahab Wave besides our own reactor." Biscuit said to the two of them.

"What?" Nashiko asked while Orga looked at the younger boy in shock.

"If the enemy is Gjallarhorn, it could be…"

"Orga! Hurry up!" Eugene yelled. He turned to Nashiko, wrapping an arm around her waist before pulling her in for a kiss.

"I'll be back before you know it." He said to her, beginning their familiar system of goodbyes for when he goes on a mission.

"You better." She said, placing a hand on his cheek before turning and making her way towards another Mobile Worker and pilot.

 **XXX**

Nashiko watched the battle for as long as she could before she turned to one of the other boys that was helping get the Mobile Workers ready to head out. "Is there an extra Mobile Worker?"

"Uh… yeah. Right over there." He said pointing to the last two of them. She nodded, taking off her jacket and throwing it on a desk. "What? What are you doing?" He asked in shock. She took her braided hair and used a string she found on the same desk to tie it into a bun.

"What does it look like? I'm going out to help." She answered, making her way towards the Worker.

"But you've never piloted one of them!" He said, following behind her. Many of the boys were aware of the President's order that she wasn't supposed to use a Mobile Worker. They also didn't know that Organ ad Mikazuki had been teaching her since her 'whisker' had healed.

"Apparently you don't know me very well." She said with a wink as she climbed on top of it and opened the hatch. "Has this one been checked over already?" She asked and the boy stood still for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah…" She slid inside, peeking her head out and nodding to the boy.

"Alright. Thanks." She closed the hatch and attacked her 'whisker' to the Worker. She sat still for a moment before letting out a breath that she relaxed and settled her hands on the controls. "Okay, just like in practice. Just like having Orga and Mikazuki with you, teaching you." She said to herself before letting go of the control and putting on her headset. She immediately heard Orga's voice giving orders and it made her feel a little better. She made her way out of the hanger into the battlefield. No one really paid her any attention, which was perfect for her because when Orga found out she was out there, he was going to explode. She could hear everyone talking and Biscuit confirmed her and Orga's suspicions about the First Corps, they were escaping from the back and leaving them all to die. Of course, Orga had set a brilliant plan into motion to use the First Corps as decoys and from what she could hear in the headset, it was working perfectly. That was until a Mobile Suit entered the battlefield. Nashiko sighed, careful not to talk because she knew that Orga was connected to her Mobile Worker. Two more Mobile Suits landed next to the first and Nashiko seriously doubted their chances of survival.

"No way. We can't win against Mobile Suits." Eugene said.

"What are we going to do?" Shino asked.

"We have to run." Danji spoke and Nashiko was a little surprised he'd been put in a Mobile Worker.

"Where to?" Akihiro spoke next.

"That's right." Orga said, drawing her attention to where he stood on his own Mobile Worker. "There's no place to run. There never was. Right, Mika?" The boy answered affirmative and Nashiko rolled her eyes.

"So, what should I do next, Orga?" The younger boy asked and Nashiko remembered the boy saying that same line for years. She smiled slightly.

 **XXX**

Nashiko fired a couple more rounds at the Mobile Suit. Nothing she'd tried so far was piercing the amour. As she turned back to take a few more shots, she saw the Mobile Suit kick a Worker, the one she was pretty sure Danji was in.

"Danji!" Shino yelled, confirming her suspicions.

"No, Danji!" She yelled before she'd thought about it.

"Nashiko!? What the hell!? Where are you?" Orga all but yelled into the headset and she knew that she could deny it to longer.

"I'm in a Mobile Worker." She answered honestly, turning her guns towards the Mobile Suits head.

"Are you insane!?" Orga asked. "Come back now!"

"Can't do that…" She answered through gritted teeth as she avoided a shot from the Suit.

"Nashiko…" Orga began.

"She's already out here and she isn't dead yet. We need all the help we can get Orga." Eugene said to him as he and Nashiko passed each other. She was about ninety-five percent sure that the older boy was gritting his teeth.

"Fine but you keep moving and as soon as Mikazuki makes it back out there you're heading back." He responded to her and she hummed in response, firing one again at the Suit's head. She had its attention for a few moments before it turned towards Orga. It head opened up, revealing a cannon. It fired several times at Orga and Eugene.

"I'm gonna die!" Eugene screamed.

"I will not die. I will never die." Orga said into the headset as calmly as one would imagine he could. "Not like this. Not here." Nashiko stopped the Mobile Worker and opened the hatch, she pulled herself out to sit on the edge, leaving her headset on to listen to Orga speak. "It can't end here. Right, Mika?" As soon as the younger boy's name left his lips, there was an explosion in front of the Mobile Suit. It turned out the explosion was caused by the Mobile Suit that powered the entire base… and Mika was piloting it. Nashiko stood on top of her Worker, watching as the suit stood up to full height. Its colors were so bright; white, blue, gray, and some black compared to the dark green, grays, and blacks of the Gjallarhorn suit. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. The fight was far from over but at least they had a chance.


	2. Barbatos

**A/N: I want to thank everyone who has reviewed and taken a chance on this story! I really do appreciate and I've been working hard to write and edit the story! So, here's the second chapter! I really hope you guys continue to like the story! Please fave, follow, and review! It would mean a lot to me!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Nashiko Harade and the new Gundam (Not Barbatos)!**

 **XXX**

"Orga, Nashiko. Get everyone to stand back." Mikazuka voice came through the headset.

"Got it." Orga said to him just as Mikazuki blasted towards the two remaining enemy Mobile Suits. "Nashiko, get back to base." He said and she hummed, glancing around to make sure that everyone around her was headed back. She followed them at a distance, making sure they were safe from an attack. She was the last one to reach the base and she could see Orga standing in front of everyone as they watched the battle. She was hoping he was just standing there for Mikazuki but when he turned to her Mobile Worker, she figured he was probably waiting for her as well. She stopped the Mobile Worker and disconnected herself, taking her time as she stood and opened the hatch. She climbed out, mindful of her steps as she got to the ground. As she turned towards him, she was surprised to have his arms around her so quickly, pulling her into a hug. She returned it after a moment. "Don't ever do that again." He said and she tilted her head with a small smile.

"No promises." She winced at the pounding in her head.

"Are you okay?" He asked, gently cupping her cheeks.

"Yeah, I just get a headache from piloting them." She glanced back at the Mobile Worker before turning her attention back to the fight between Mikazuki and the Gjallarhorn Suits. The fight was short but intense. As the two Gjallarhorn suits retreated, she was sure she saw the Mikazuki's suit powering down. There was a lull… a moment to make sure that they were not going to be attacked again before many of the boys made their way onto the battlefield to check and make sure that all the wounded got back to the base to be treated.

"Nashiko, Akihiro. Can you go back to the base and check on things? See if the First Corps survivors are coming back." Orga asked them, looking over his shoulder. They both nodded before making their way inside the base.

 **XXX**

"Hey, looks like survivors are back." Akihiro said from where he and Nashiko were standing behind their leader. Orga sighed and she nodded her agreement. Once everyone was back and base and being treated for injuries and all of the machines and salvageable parts were back where they belong, they all made their way to see the Commander.

"You fool!" He yelled as soon as they all stood at attention before hitting Orga across the face. Akihiro was quick to grab Nashiko's wrist and keep her in place beside him. Eugene and Shino were pissed as well; Biscuit seemed a little worried while Akihiro kept an emotionless mask while still holding onto her. "You made a fool of us. You used us…"

"While First Corps went for the pincer attack, I heard you were attacked in an unfortunate accident." Orga cut the man off, playing off what happened earlier in the battle was an accident that they had no part of. No one was going to say any differently. "Why is that our problem?" Another punch to the face but this time it was enough to knock him to the ground.

"Listen to you babble." The commander said. Even against Akihiro's strong grip, Nashiko tried to move forward he pulled her back with a quick jerk, shaking his head ever-so-slightly when she looked at him. She knew that Orga could handle himself. He had for years before she came into the picture and years before they had even gotten together but she was at the end of her ropes with these people. She and the others were humans not the debris that they claimed they were. "What's with that look?" He said, looking up at the five of them lined against the wall. Akihiro let go of her wrist quickly so that they didn't get into more trouble. "Do you want to get punched as well?"

"Just me…" Orga said as he stood up. Everyone gasped except Akihiro, who simply closed his eyes and looked down, "should be fine."

"Is that so? Then…" The Commander said before he began hitting Orga repeatedly. Nashiko closed her eyes and bit her lip, looking down at the ground. She tried to block out as much as she could.

 **XXX**

"How boring." The Commander said as he left. "Calculate the damage for this time and bring it to me." One by one, the adults left the room until the six teenagers were left alone. As soon as they were gone, Nashiko made her way to Orga as he laid on the ground.

"Orga…" She said quietly as Biscuit, Shino, and Eugene knelt down around him as well.

"Rats! I won't forgive them." Shino said, looking at the open door. Orga sat up and spit to the side before allowing Nashiko to gently cup his face.

"No, we can't forgive them." He said, sitting up a little straighter and grabbing one of her hands, holding it in his own. They all looked at him in shock. "Maybe it's perfect."

"Before we start talking plan…" She said, drawing their attention to her. "We need to get out of here. This is the least good place to talk about anything." The boys hummed in agreement before they all stood and made their way into the hall. "By the Mobile Workers outside." She said before anyone could ask anything. She grabbed Orga's wrist and pulled him in the opposite direction. "We'll be there soon."

 **XXX**

"You've got to stop doing that." She said as she took a wet rag and began gently cleaning the blood off of Orga's face. He huffed a laugh before leaning into her touch slightly.

"Why? So they can pick on you and the others?" He asked. "No thanks. I'm good getting the brunt of it."

"That's all fine and dandy if you're happy with it but what about me and Mika? We're not happy with seeing you get beat every time we make a mutual decision." She swiped his cracked lip a little too hard and he winced back. Her face softened as she gently ran her thumb over the area. "Sorry." She said, pressing a chaste peck to his lips. She turned to the sink, rinsing out the blood from the rag and rewetting it. Orga stood from the stool he was sitting on, coming up behind her to put his hands on her hips. He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the hinge of her jaw before leaning back and resting his forehead against her shoulder.

"I know… I know it hurts you but I would rather not see either of you suffer for something I can so easily take the blame for." She sighed before turning off the water and turning to face him. She put her hands on the counter behind her before lifting herself up so she was sitting on it. Gently grabbing his arms, she pulled him closer and pushed the jacket off his shoulders.

"Nashi, we have to go… we don't have time no matter how much I want to…" He said with a cheeky smirk and she rolled her eyes.

"Lift up your shirt; I'm checking for bruises and broken ribs." She said as she watched him slowly pull his shirt up. She subconsciously ran her fingertips up his abs, letting her feel each ridge and minor scar adorning the area.

"I thought we were going to check ribs." He said, stepping even closer, forcing the girl to spread her legs to accommodate his frame. She looked up at his face and saw that cheeky smirk once again.

"I was checking your abs first, they look intact." She said with a smirk of her own before running her fingertips down his sides, pressing and massaging the area. While he was tender, nothing was broken, cracked, or fractured. "Everything looks okay." She said, resting her hands on his hips while she looked up at him. He looked down at her, leaning down to kiss her. She placed a hand on the back of his neck as she kissed him back.

"You scared me today." He said quietly. She gently ran her nails through the hair at the nape of his neck.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't sit by and let everyone fight." He placed a hand on her thigh while the other settled on her side.

"I know, I should have known better than to tell you to sit by." He pressed a kiss to her cheek. She smiled slightly.

"As much as I love having this time with you, I told the guys that we would meet them soon." She said and he gave her a genuine smile.

"Yeah, come on." He said, putting his hands on her hips to help her down from the counter even though they both knew she didn't need it.

 **XXX**

"Us? CGS?" Eugene said after Orga had explained his plan.

"You said it before, Eugene. About taking over this place."

"I did, but in this sort of situation? We lost many comrades in the Third Group." The blonde said.

"Maruba was scum but First Corps guys are worse. They only think of our lives as scattered bait. And with their brains, business will go south. Then they will take on more dangerous jobs. We'll definitely be killed." Orga explained the situation and to Nashiko, it made perfect sense.

"But there are no jobs even if we leave here." Biscuit reminded them. Human debris couldn't get jobs outside of their company as they were technically owned by them.

"So we have no other choices." Eugene said, understanding how the First Corps being in charge was going to go for them.

"What will you do, Akihiro?" Nashiko asked the older boy. He was sitting on the top of a Worker, listening to the potentially crazy plan.

"We're human debris. We're here regardless of our will. I will obey whoever is in charge. Even if it is them or you guys." He said to them as he walked away.

"If that is so, let's have a strategy meeting." Eugene suggested.

"How about Mikazuki?" Biscuit asked.

"I forgot." Orga said, scratching the back of his head.

"How could you forget?" He asked in disbelief. Orga looked at Nashiko, who blushed and chuckled, looking away from the other boys. The other three couldn't help the small smile that graced their features.

"If Mika is against this… Then I'm sorry, but we'll cancel."

"What?"

"Orga?"

"Typical."

"That won't happen though. If I'm serious, then Mika will answer that. Most surely." Their leader said and Nashiko smiled softly.

 **XXX**

"Hey Nashiko!" The girl turned around, seeing the blonde boy, Yamagi Gilmerton.

"Hey, what's up?" She asked, waiting for the boy to catch up with her.

"Nadi needs you in the hanger." She blinked twice.

"Me?" She asked and he nodded. With a small shrug of her shoulders, she followed him down the hall. She was surprised to see that instead of the hanger where they kept their Mobile Workers while they were being worked on, but they were going to the hanger where Mikazuki's Mobile Suit had been. It seemingly empty now with nothing but random boxes of what she was mostly sure were old parts. Once they'd reached the hangar, Yamagi went back to the main hanger. "You needed to see me?" She called and heard a muffled curse before Nadi's voice followed.

"Yeah, come here." She made her way over and walking around a couple of boxes, she was shocked. There was another mobile suit, possibly just as old as Barbatos but it seemed in much worse shape. It was almost in a fetal position, lying against the wall. It was a primer gray color with large spots of color that said that the Mobile Suit at one point was black, red, and orange with possibly some yellow.

"Since when…" She began before he interrupted her.

"I'm not sure but I can't get it to start up." He answered, looking down at her. "It's got some damage but it seems to be an Alaya-Vijnana System. Come up here."

"Why don't you ask one of the other boys to test it?" She asked as she climbed up the Suit's arms.

"I wanted to but… I don't know. I just have a good feeling about you and this Gundam. You're a lot like Mikazuki so I think you would be able to handle and pilot it." He said, looking up at her when she made her way beside the cockpit. She sighed and looked inside before slipping in. She stood still as Nadi attached her to the Gundam, luckily, she still had her adaptor on from earlier. Almost instantly, there was this surge of power and information that caused her back to bow. When she was finally able to relax, she sat down in the seat and she became aware of the small nosebleed she now had. "Nashiko—"

"Did you have a name for it?" She asked and the man shook his head.

"No… I haven't been able to get the computers to start up. Are you okay?" She nodded.

"I'm fine. It's Lucifer, by the way." She looked at him, her two toned eyes looking into his brown ones.

"The name?" He asked and she nodded, looking back down at the screen in front of her. "So you're connected to it." He asked as he shifted to the side of the cockpit, seeing all of the computers lit up. She nodded again before reaching up to grab the controls. She moved them slightly and tried to move the Mobile Suit, it tried but it didn't move. They could hear and feel it shifting under them, gears sticking and grinding, but it had so many issues that the suit didn't seem to be getting full power to all of its body.

"You really think no one else would be able to do this?" She asked and he shook his head, moving closer to her to look at the screen.

"Mikazuki had some trouble initial with Barbatos." The man said, reading what was on the screen.

"So I guess this means that I'll be piloting it…" She spoke absentmindedly, reading the screen as well.

"Yeah… apparently." He answered. She hummed.

"Orga's gonna love that." He chuckled. "Seems like a lot of work." She answered. She was slowly getting more comfortable being in the pilot's seat. It felt like… she belonged with this Gundam. "Can you fix it?" She asked. Nadi looked down at her and sighed.

"I can do the best I can. I don't know if that means that it's actually going to run but I've gotten everything that needs to be done right here." He held up his tablet. "I'm going to try and do what I can so that if you're needed in a battle you can be there." She nodded her head before leaning forward slightly, allowing him to cut the connection. She stood up and stepped out of the cockpit, running her hand under her nose to wipe away the blood that was still there.

"Is that unusual?" She asked, the man hummed as he looked at her. "For a Gundam to respond to only one pilot…"

"From what I understand, it's not completely unusual but it would have had to have been modified after the Calamity Wars… and for it to respond to a specific person… it is a bit strange but if you feel comfortable and like you can handle it, I don't think it'll be a problem." She nodded her head at his answer.

"We'll just see how it goes." She said, smiling at the older man. He chuckled and nodded.

"We will. It'll have to stay here until I can get it to stand and then we can move it to the other hangar." Nadi explained and Nashiko nodded her head.

"Alright, thanks old man." She said, carefully climbing down the Suit's arm. She could hear the man sigh and she smiled as her feet touched the ground. She looked up at the Suit and she could see its eyes staring down at her. While it's left was intact, showing her that it was red, the other lens was missing. She hoped that she would actually be able to pilot the thing as good as Mikazuki… She wanted to be able to protect everyone. With a nod towards the unmoving machine, she put her hands in the pockets of her jacket before making her way out into the hall to get some dinner.


	3. Glorious Death

**A/N: I'm really glad you guys are liking the story! I'm definitely going to try and update it more! Please don't forget to fave, follow, and review to let me know what you guys think!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Nashiko Harade!**

 **XXX**

"You ready?" Orga asked to five behind him. They all nodded and Nashiko sighed softly. Sliding the door open, she could see that all of the adults of CGS were tied up. "Good morning gentleman." He said as he opened the door and stepped inside. "Glad you enjoyed the food even with the sedatives?

"Sedatives!?" One man yelled in question.

"You brats. What do you think you're doing?" The Commander asked from where he was laying on the ground.

"I just want to make things clear." Orga responded. "We're the ones who are in charge now from now on."

"Is that right? Did you pathetic pieces of trash forget who you're dealing?" The Commander yelled at them, sitting up slightly as Orga walkd towards the man.

"Yeah, we know who you are. You left our friends to die. You're all cowards." Orga answered the man.

"Go to hell." He yelled to Orga before spitting at him. He remained motionless for a moment before he picked up his foot slowly and swung it forward, landing a direct hit to the Commander's face. The adults in the room gasped in shock.

"Just take these off and I promise not to hurt you" The man said, panting.

"Maybe you don't understand. We aren't here to negotiate. You're gonna listen to us. Got it?" Nashiko could hear the man growl under his breath. "Our boys went down out there and you're the ones who've got their blood on your hands." Mikazuki started walking towards Orga before passing him completely. "Now it's time to pay for what you've done." Shino put his hand on Nashiko's shoulder; she glanced at him and nodded. When Mikazuki cocked the gun, Nashiko closed her eyes and put her head down. Yes, she had been here with the CGS for a long time and yes, she's seen people die. That didn't mean that she wants to. It doesn't mean that she wants to be the one to kill them. The girl jumped when the gun fired twice and Eugene reached out and grabbed her hand, holding it. He talked a big game but when it came to her and some of the other young boys, he was a big softy. The room went silent for a moment and Nashiko opened her eyes. "Listen up! As of right now, the CGS belongs to us. The choice is yours. You can either stay here and go to work for all us space rats or you can leave and never come back.

"Damn you!" A man yelled as he got up. He took two steps towards Orga before Mikazuki turned and pulled the trigger twice. Nashiko flinched, both Shino and Eugene gave her shoulder and hand a squeeze.

"Anybody else?" Orga asked calmly. "We have no problem making the decision for you."

"Excuse me." A quiet voice said. "I choose to get out of here."

"You are Dexter Culastor in charge of accounting, right?" Biscuit asked when he realized who the man was. "We're going to have you stay for a bit."

"What?" The man asked in shock.

 **XXX**

Once everything had calmed down and all the adults decided that they would leave. Orga gave the same choice to many of the boys from the Third Group. If they would rather leave, they had the choice. Many choice to stay but Nashiko did see a few of them that did leave once they realized that they were completely able to. She led two boys into the office where Biscuit, Orga, and Dexter were already waiting for them. They began talking to Biscuit and Dexter about their Severance Pay with Nashiko made her way to sit on the couch.

"Hey." She turned to look at Orga, who was sitting behind the desk. "What are you doing?"

"Um… Sitting down…?" She asked more than said, glancing between him and the couch. He chuckled quietly.

"Come here." He said, ushering her to him with one hand. She easily made her way over to him without hesitation.

She stood beside him behind the desk for a moment before he gently pulled her closer to him. When she was standing between his splayed legs, he put both hands on her hips and gently urged her to straddle his lap. She raised an eyebrow at him only for him to smirk back. Rolling her eyes, she turned and sat on his lap, leaning up to ask for a kiss, which he returned. She could hear Biscuit sighing from behind her. Pulling away from Orga, she glanced back over her shoulder to see that Biscuit had a playful smile on his face. She turned back to Orga, smiling as he turned his attention back to the task at hand. She made sure that there was nothing on the desk before she pulled herself up onto the desk, sitting on the edge of it.

 **XXX**

"Hey, Orga. You gave severance pay to the First Corps guys who quit? Why…?!" Eugene was speaking as soon as he opened the door before he stopped and saw that they were working. The two kids that Nashiko had brought in earlier were still sitting on the couch opposite of Biscuit and Dexter, getting their Severance pay. They were all looking at Eugene confused, except for Orga and Nashiko. "Wait just a minute! Where do you think you're going?" The blonde stepped towards one of the boys, grabbing his scarf. Nashiko swung her legs over the desk and stepped over to him, grabbing his wrist.

"Stop it." She said, causing him to look at her. He released the boy before turning towards her fully.

"But—" He began before Orga cut him off.

"Paying them the money they were owed was the fair thing to do and they all worked hard to get it." Orga explained his reasoning. Eugene pushed Nashiko out of the way, walking to the desk.

"First Corps too?" He asked.

"There's no telling what they'll do when they leave here and go off on their own." Orga spoke, looking at the tablet in his hand. Nashiko pushed Eugene aside with her shoulder as she walked back over to the desk and pushing herself up to sit on it like she was earlier. She brought her legs up and crossed them before laying them on Orga's lap. He had no problem laying his free hand on her knee as he spoke. "Besides, we don't need a bad reputation. I want us to take honest jobs or no jobs at all."

"You what? Alright. Enough! How can you say something like that?"

"Come on, now's not the time for us to be fighting." A new voice entered the conversation. Nashiko rolled her eyes; she never liked that Todo guy. He stepped up to Eugene and threw and arm around his shoulder. "I mean we've all got our opinions but we need to put our differences aside and work together. Alright?" A glance at Orga told her that he felt the same way.

"Then that means—" Biscuit didn't get to finish his sentence before the man spoke again.

"Yes, I've decided to stay. Looking forward to working with you." He gave a half-hearted playful salute to Biscuit. Orga looked at her before going back to his tablet, his hand massaging her knee. They began talking about other business things before Nashiko grew bored. She began looking around the room. She'd never actually looked while their former president had been there but, it was pretty nice. She turned her attention back to Orga when he nudged her knee. He looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. She must've been tapping her toe, a habit she has from when she's bored.

"Go find something to do. I'll find you later." He said with a small smile.

"You sure?" She asked and he nodded. She slid off the desk, leaning down to press a kiss to his lips before making her way out of the office and down to the hanger where Lucifer was being kept. She stepped inside and immediately felt drawn to the large mobile suit. It was still sitting in the same position that she last saw it in but there were pieces of armor everywhere, wires hanging loose, and it just generally looked rough… but at least they were working on it. With a sigh, she took off her jacket and made her way over to the Mobile Suit. After being connected with it, she knew almost everything that was wrong with it from memory, maybe she could help speed the process of the repairs up.

 **XXX**

She wasn't sure how long she'd spent in the hanger but she had gotten some major things fixed in the suit before the alarms went off. "Report from lookout. One Gjallarhorn Mobile Suit. It appears to have a red cloth tied to it and it's coming this way." Nashiko dropped her tools back into the tool box before grabbing her jacket and slipping it over her shoulders. With one last glance up, she turned and ran outside. Once out, she was able to see that everyone had made their way outside.

"Nashiko…" She turned and saw Orga on top of his Mobile Worker. She made her way over, climbing up and sitting down beside his legs.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Apparently this guy wants to duel." Biscuit answered and she hummed in response.

"If I'm able to defeat you, I demand that the captured Graze and Kudelia Aina Bernstein be handed over to us." Nashiko could hear the man now, using a speaker system from his Mobile Suit so that they could hear him.

"He came here for her?" Biscuit said almost under his breath.

"I told you she's the only thing they wanted?" Todo yelled from the back of a truck as he stood up, drawing their attention to him. The man from Gjallarhorn began speaking again, causing them to look to him.

"Once the duel is settled and we receive the Graze and Kudelia, you have my solemn oath that everything will be resolved. I vow the feud between Gjallarhorn and the CGS will be put to rest forever." The man spoke.

"I'll go." Nashiko turned when she heard Kudelia speak. She was dressed in her clothes that she was wearing when Nashiko and the others were first introduced to her. "There's no need for you to fight like this. It'll be much easier if I just leave with him. These meaningless battles should all be avoided."

"That's right. How about you negotiate for some money too?" Todo said and Nashiko narrowed her eyes at the man.

"We don't know what will happen." Orga spoke to the girl.

"That's right." Biscuit agreed. "They tried to murder you."

"I know that." She spoke firmly. "But so many have died already. Believe me; I'm not going to go down without a fight. Maybe I can try and get them to listen to reason." Nashiko saw Orga smile slightly out of the corner of her eye as he lifted his head to look at the sky.

"That's impossible." Biscuit said, trying to talk some reason into her.

"Well, the young miss said it herself and I believe her. That lady is one smooth talker." Todo said to them. Nashiko stood up, moving to stand directly beside Orga and narrowing her eyes at the man.

"No one asked for your mouth to move." She said and the man glared at her before Orga spoke.

"I'm not doing that." Every gasped at him except for Nashiko. "As far as I'm concerned, we have no reason to trust him. So I won't give into his demands." Nashiko grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together, letting him know that she was there and that she supported his decision. He gave her a small smile before turning his attention to Mikazuki. "Mika!"

"What?" The younger boy asked as he turned to them.

"You up for it?" Their leader asked.

"Yeah, sure." Mikazuki answered as if it was nothing.

"Hey, what's he going to do?" Eugene asked as he looked up at them.

"He knows what I meant. He's gonna fight him... to the death." Orga answered the question. They managed to get the intercom system to work so that they could talk to the man. "Sorry to make you wait. We've agreed to accept your challenge." Once Orga said that, almost everyone was cheering on Mikazuki and Barbatos as well as talking to each other about how cool it was going to or things like that. As everyone was running around to get everything ready, Nashiko, Orga, and Kudelia stood and watched Mikazuki.

"What do you think would happen if I tried to use the Alaya-Vijnana System? Would I be able to control it anyway I wanted?" The blonde girl asked, drawing their attention to her. "Because if I could make it work… at least I can be of some help to everyone."

"Don't even bother." Orga said as she finished talking. Kudelia turned to look at them. "Some of us were just lucky, I guess. A long time ago, Mika, Nashi, me, and eight other kids had them implanted. It didn't work on four of them, so they sent them to the hospital. Even to this day, they're probably still in there. if they're alive that is. Mika's had it done three times now... which is a lot for a surgery like that. And each one was of his own free will." Orga explained to as Nashiko silently watched Mikazuki get inside of Barbatos. By the end of his explanation, Barbatos' thrusters started up. "We're counting on you, Mika!" He yelled to the boy.

 **XXX**

Once Mikazuki was out on the battlefield, Nashiko leaned into Orga. The man subtly leaned against her. In a moment like this, he had to portray the strong leader and even though everyone knew they were together, he still felt that need. Nashiko didn't blame him, this was a big deal. The battle began and right from the start, it was intense. The way that the Mobile Suits were able to move… it was incredible. If she could ever get Lucifer to work, she would be able to experience it as well. She vaguely heard Orga and Kudelia talking but at the moment, her entire focus was on the fight. From where they were, Nashiko saw a piece of Mikazuki's weapon break off and head right for them. She felt Orga turn his body towards her and put an arm around her neck and his hand on her head. Once the spear landed and the dust settled he lowered his arm to wrap around her waist, turning slightly to look back at the battlefield. She coughed slightly as the dust slowly settled.

"Show off." She muttered, seeing Orga's smile let her know that he'd heard her.

"Tekkadan." He said softly when Mikazuki stabbed part of his weapon through the body of the opposing Mobile Suit. The battle was over.

"What?" Nashiko asked, looking up at the taller boy. She could hear Kudelia make a noise of question as well. He looked down at her.

"Our new name." He looked back up at the battlefield. "We can't call ourselves the CGS anymore… That's in the past."

"Tekkadan, huh?" She asked, looking out at the Mobile Suits as well. "Iron flower." Orga hummed, pulling her a little closer.

"It never wilts and it never dies." She laid her head against Orga's shoulders as three shots rang out. She closed her eyes, tilting her head into Orga's throat.

 **XXX**

"You've done it now. Haven't you, Mikazuki?" Todo said to the younger boy. He hummed when he turned to the man.

"You heard him kid. Gjallarhorn is definitely our enemy now." Eugene threw in.

"Who cares? He won." Shino said in his usual happy way.

"That's not the issue." Eugene said to him.

"Maybe if we actually tried to negotiate we would have actually gotten some money." Todo said, looking at Orga. Nashiko glared at him and he glared back.

"Excuse me." Kudelia said as she came over to them.

"What do you want?" Orga said to her and Nashiko hit him in the stomach. He grunted and tried not to double over.

"I need your help." She paused, "I still need your company to take me to Earth."

"What?" Orga asked and Nashiko covered her face with her hand so that no one saw her roll her eyes.

"Then you'll have some money and you can stay in business a little longer." Kudelia explained her reasoning. The other woman, Fumitan if Nashiko was right, tried to speak to her but Kudelia waved her off. "I won't need my father's approval either because I know someone who will be able to provide all the funding you'll need."

"Really?" Orga asked when he was able to stand up straight again, giving Nashiko a small glare to which the girl smiled at without even looking at him.

"Someone who has always been more than generous and my sponsor for the Freedom Movement. Nobliss Gordon."

"Nobliss?" Biscuit asked.

"Who's that?" Nashiko asked, turning to the boy beside her.

"I've heard the name." Todo said. "He's apparently a super-rich man."

"Maybe we can finally rest a little easier." Biscuit said with a sigh.

"Yes! And we have Mikazuki and the Mobile Suits with us." Takaki said, grabbing a hold of Mikazuki's arm. "Gjallarhorn better back off." Many of the younger kids began talking amongst themselves, getting excited. Orga looked at Nashiko, they had a small, silent conversation the way they did with their eyes. The small, silent conversation ended with a nod of Nashiko's head. He nodded back before turning to Kudelia. He smiled at her before before bowing, putting a hand over his heart.

"Allow me to thank you for keeping us employed. And don't you worry. Us, Tekkadan soldiers, will get you there safely." She gasped lightly before smiling at him.

"I'm counting on you guys." Eugene was about to try and talk Orga out of it before Takaki stepped up asking about Tekkadan. Nashiko turned to him and smiled.

"It's the company's new name." She answered.

"I just picked it out" Orga said to everyone.

"What?" Eugene asked.

"That is so cool!" Shino said.

"You can't decide that by yourself!" Eugene said to him.

"He didn't, I like it." Nashiko said with a smile.

"It's good, right, Mikazuki?" She heard Takaki asked the pilot.

"I like it." Mikazuki said as he put another Mars Palm into his mouth. Orga smiled at Nashiko and she smiled back, pressing against him and tilting her head back, silently asking for a kiss. He chuckled quietly before leaning down to press his lips against her. She smiled into the kiss. Things may be on their way to getting crazier but with everyone there, sticking together, she was pretty sure they had a good chance of completing the mission.


	4. The Price of Life

**A/N: I'm SO SO sorry about how late this is guys! Things just spiraled out of control with life and my motivation took a dive. I'm hoping to start posting once a week again for all of my stories. Again, I'm sorry. I want to thank everyone who reads and posts comments, you guys really help motivate me to try and continue writing even when I don't want to because it usually gets me back into the writing mood, so thank you all!**

 **I hope you all like this chapter and please don't forget to fave, follow, and review! It would mean a lot!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Nashiko Harade!**

 **XXX**

Nashiko was up early the next morning working the Lucifer Gundam. Nadi had said that he would come and help her when he got the chance. With most of them leaving soon to go to Earth, she was hoping to have it operational enough that they could get it onto the ship without a crane. She felt like she was making progress with the suit. Orga wouldn't be around because of the early morning meeting and everyone was getting all of the equipment and things ready.

Which a sigh, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and began climbing up the suit's arm. Once she was by the cockpit, she slipped inside and hooked herself up. This was the third time she'd been hooked up and she was feeling better every time she did it. She grabbed the controls and tried to move the arms. They both moved exactly how she wanted them to. Setting them back down, she tried to make the Mobile Suit stand, knowing that there was more than enough space. It took a moment but the left leg did move. The right tried but seemed to be stuck. She nodded her head and unattached herself.

She made her way back down the arm to the legs of the suit. Remembering what the screen showed as the problem. She found the correct tool and began working on it. She was pretty happy that, since moving Barbatos, no one came into that particular hanger anymore. She wanted Lucifer to be a surprise aid in battle. Plus, she was sure that if Orga found out that she was working on a Mobile Suit for herself that he would freak out. He never wanted her to have to fight in any way. As she focused on her work, she lost track of time. She was so focused that when someone cleared their throat from the ground, she jumped.

"Oh it's just you, Old Man." She said, jumping down from the suit's leg.

"How're things going?" He asked, coming over. "Sorry I didn't come earlier; I've been working on Barbatos to get it ready." She nodded.

"That's okay. I got its arms and left leg to move." He looked at her shocked. "The right leg is a little sticky but I think I almost have that fixed. The right optic area is damaged, hence why there is no lens. Everything else is just minor stuff." She turned to him and smiled. He chuckled and shook his head, scratching the back of it.

"I should have known you would be almost done." He put his hands on his hips and looked up at the Mobile Suit. She had gotten it to sit up straight so it wasn't slumped against the wall and it was no longer in the fetal position. It was definitely progress. Before he could say anything more to her, they both heard her stomach growl loudly. As the room fell silent again, she could feel her face heating up. The man laughed before making a 'shoo' motion with his hand. "Get out of here and get something to eat. I'm sure you've been here all day. I should be able to get the rest of the stuff done before we pack everything up." She smiled and him.

"Thanks." She said as she grabbed her jacket and jogged out of the hanger. Slipping her jacket over her shoulders, she made her way outside, towards the kitchen. It was clearly a little passed lunch but hopefully there would still be some food left.

 **XXX**

She'd been right. Everyone was already there for lunch and it didn't seem like there was any left. With a sigh, she turned to walk away when a voice called her back. She turned back with a smile. Atra was a young girl, the only other girl on the base besides Kudelia; she was maybe twelve or thirteen. She was a great person and a phenomenal cook.

"Hey, Atra. How are you?" She asked, leaning against the counter to talk to the girl. She smiled back.

"I'm good, how are you?" The younger girl asked and before Nashiko could answer, her stomach growled.

"Well… that's how I am." She said with a small smile.

"Oh, wait!" Atra said before she ran off. The older girl waited for a moment before Atra came back with a tray of food. "Here! I didn't see you come in earlier so I knew you hadn't eaten yet. I saved you some." The brunette smiled at the act of kindness from the smaller girl.

"Thank you very much, Atra." She said as she reached over the counter to take the tray from the girl. "Are you going to be around today?" She asked, grabbing a spoon. The girl shook her head.

"No, I'm heading to Miss Sakura's farm later." Nashiko hummed around the first bite of her food, beginning to realize just how hungry she was.

"This is very good." She said when she had swallowed that bite.

"Thank you." Atra said, a small blush on her cheeks.

"You better go now before you're late."

"Oh right. Thank you Nashiko." The girl said before she rushed away. The older girl smiled as she left before she continued to eat. She hadn't seen Orga all day but she knew that it was because he was busy. When she finished eating, she put her tray and bowl away before making her way outside to head back to the hanger to see what Nadi had been able to do with Lucifer. As she stepped outside, she could hear Shino barking orders at the other younger boys while a smaller group ran laps around the base. Everyone was either getting ready to head to Earth or just getting used to not having the adults to tell them what to do. Right before she stepped into the hanger, she heard someone call her name. Turning, she smiled when she saw Orga and Biscuit coming towards her.

"Hey." She said, leaning up on her toes as Orga leaned down to peck her lips.

"Hey Nashiko." Biscuit smiled back at her. "Are you coming to the meeting?" She tilted her head slightly in confusion.

"What meeting?" She asked. Orga wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Come on." She shook her head softly, playfully, as Orga led her and Biscuit towards the main building and into his office.

 **XXX**

"First we'll go to the low orbit station, that's where we'll meet up with our guide ship. Then we'll transfer to our ship in geosynchronous orbit and proceed onward to Earth." Biscuit explained the plan to Kudelia and Fumitan.

"But why do we need a guide there?" Kudelia asked.

"Well normally, all of the main routes to and from Earth are under the strict control of Gjallarhorn and since you're their target, it wouldn't be smart to transport you in plain sight." Biscuit explained to her, bringing up a map on the screen behind him. "So we need a back door. Our plan is to use a route that doesn't cross with any paths that Gjallarhorn are watching over but it's going to be kind of complicated. Plus none of us have been to Earth before so a guide is our only option." Orga uncrossed his arms, putting his left fist on the screen with a soft thud.

"These routes are divided territories. So we might have to deal with all the civilian outfits." He explained before Todo cleared his throat. Nashiko resisted the urge to roll her eyes as everyone's attention shifted to the man.

"I think the safest and surest bet would be the Orcus Company. As a matter of fact, I've known the CEO for years. I could contact him anytime."

"Now don't tell me you actually trust this scumbag…" Eugene asked, turning to Orga while pointing at the man sitting in the chair to his right.

"That's harsh!" The man said back. "We're brothers! Comrades!" She could hear Eugene scoff at the comment.

"Hey, don't sweat it." Orga said, smirking at the blonde. "If he screws up he knows what'll happen to him. Don'tcha?" Orga directed the last part of the sentence to the man. He whimpered for a moment before clasping his hands together.

"I hear ya boss. Loud and clear."

"You say you have your own ship?" Fumitan asked, drawing Nashiko's attention from the man to the mostly silent woman.

"That's right. We have the CGS ship, Will-o'-the-Wisp." Biscuit confirmed. "It's docked at Hakofune."

"Hakofune…" Kudelia said softly. "I've heard of it. Isn't that one of the civilian spaceports?"

"Yeah," Biscuit confirmed, "but legally, we can't use it yet." He began typing on his tablet. "So we need to register the ship as Tekkadan property, ASAP."

"Well I've got Akihiro and Dexter on that, what else?" Orga explained. Nashiko leaned back in her chair to look at him.

"Akihiro?" He turned to look at her. "You sure that was a good idea?" She smirked to let him know she was joking. Orga shook his head with a soft smile before turning back to the others.

"Mikazuki and Yukinojo are running maintenance and repairs on the Mobile Workers and Mobile Suits now." Biscuit said, looking at the tablet screen. "But the actual departure date will entirely depend on the negotiations with Orcus. At this point, we can't afford to wait much longer."

"This is where it gets real." Orga said, filling the silence of the moment.

"This is Tekkadan's first real job." Biscuit said as well. It wouldn't be long before they were making their way to Earth.

 **XXX**

After the meeting, Nashiko went back to the hanger to try to finish working on Lucifer. Yukinojo had done a lot of work while she was eating and handling the meeting. The right leg wasn't sticky at all, which made her smile. Slowly, everything was coming together and at this point, she should be able to get Lucifer onto the ship without using the crane and alerting Orga that she had a trick up her sleeve. She wasn't sure how long she had spent in the hanger working but, looking out the window above the Gundam's head, she saw that the sun was setting. With a sigh, she slowly climbed down, jumping the last few feet. She made sure to put her tools away before making her way outside. As she opened the door and stepped out, she jumped in surprise when she came face-to-face with Orga.

"There you are." He said with a smile, leaning down to peck her lips. He looked extremely happy.

"Hey yourself… What's up?" She asked. He smiled, grabbing her hand and lacing their fingers together.

"Come on." He gently pulled her along. "Where have you been since our meeting? I haven't seen you around…" He asked.

"Helping Yukinojo with some last minute things before we all head out." She said, technically telling the truth. Orga smiled at her as they made their way to the front of the base. There were already some younger kids standing there as well as the older ones such as Shino, Ride, and Takaki.

"What do you think?" He asked as he pulled her to a stop beside Takaki. She glanced at him before following their gaze up. She blinked in surprise at the new red logo at greeted her. The green CGS logo was long gone. Their past covered in a new coat of red paint. She couldn't help but smile when she saw it.

"I like it a lot." She said and Orga smiled even wider, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer to his side. Shino, Orga, Ride, Takaki, and Nashiko all turned when a Mobile Worker stopped behind them. Mikazuki and Kudelia had returned from Miss Sakura's farm.

"Hey, great timing. What do you think?" Takaki said to him as the Mobile Worker opened before turning back to the logo.

"What is it?" She could hear Kudelia ask.

"It's the symbol of Tekkadan." Orga said proudly, squeezing Nashiko's shoulders a little. She smiled and leaned into him more.

"I've been sketching different ideas for it since this morning." Ride said proudly as well. Nashiko couldn't help but smile at him.

"Hey, not too shabby, kid." Shino said with his usual large smile. "It's a fish, huh?" She couldn't help but chuckle at him.

"It's a flower dumbass." She heard him say before Orga spoke to Mikazuki.

"It's pretty damn good, right?" Mikazuki grunted in agreement. "Mika. Nashi." She looked up at him as she heard Mikazuki hum in acknowledgement. "It's ours. So let's make sure that we protect it." She smiled, leaning up on her toes to press a kiss to the underside of his jaw, the only thing she could reach. He looked down at her, smiling before gently cupping her cheek and kissing her lips gently. Things seemed to be looking up for them all.


	5. Beyond the Red Sky

**A/N: I'm sorry guys. I've been meaning to get this chapter out but things kinda just keep falling sideways with family emergencies and work. I'm really, truly going to try and update at least once a week. This story has many chapters written so it's really just a matter of editing it and posting it. Again guys, I'm really sorry and thank you for sticking with this story even though it seems kinda hopeless, lol. :D**

 **Please don't forget to fave, follow, and review! It would mean so much to me and help keep my motivation up to continue on!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Nashiko Harade!**

 **XXX**

"Nashiko… get up." The girl pulled the blankets over her head.

"No…" She groaned. She'd been up late with Yukinojo trying to finish Lucifer so that he could go with them. She'd managed to get it to stand and actually walk. It was missing pieces of armor, its thrusters were empty, and had no real weapons at the moment but at least it would move. She could hear Orga chuckle as he sat down on the bunk behind her.

"You need to eat, we're leaving later." She curled up in a tighter ball and tightened the blankets over her head. Since they'd taken over CGS and became Tekkadan, things relaxed a little. They still worked hard and did what they had to do but it was easier without adults beating the kids every time they worked slowly or took a break. Orga was a good leader and many of the kids looked up to him. He sighed and Nashiko hoped that meant he was going to leave her alone. She felt his hand on her hip and she waited a moment, he tried to wrestle the blanket away from her head and when he succeeded, she threw an arm over her eyes. He chuckled softly before leaning down and pressing a kiss to her cheek. He slowly kissed his way down her neck to her shoulder, wrapping his arm tighter around her waist and pulling her closer. She reached back with her right hand and tangled it in his lilac hair. Nipping at her collarbone, he worked his way back up. "Get up." He said before pulling himself completely away from her. She huffed a breath as she turned her head to glare at him.

"It's not nice to tease." She said and he chuckled as he got off the bed.

"Let's go so we can eat." She yawned and nodded as she rolled out of her bunk to get ready. As usual, she put on her cargo pants, knee high black combat boots, and black crop tank top before slipping on her new Tekkadan jacket. She quickly braided her hair back before turning and making her way to the door. Orga smiled at her as she walked by, using his longer legs to catch up with her quickly before he grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together. She couldn't help but smile as he leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple.

 **XXX**

After saying good morning and hello to everyone, Orga and Nashiko sat down beside Mikazuki to eat. It wasn't long after that that Atra and pretty much demanded to be hired as the cook for Tekkadan. "I've already talked to the manager and quit the store so I can start right away." She exclaimed. She had all of her bags with her. Orga chuckled quietly, giving Nashiko a knowing smile before turning his attention to Mikazuki.

"Sounds good. Right?" He asked the younger boy.

"Sure, why not. She's a really good cook." Mikazuki said and Atra looked like she was about to cry for a moment before she bowed to them.

"Thank you very much. I'll do my very best." A moment later, Orga stood up quickly causing him to hit the table. Nashiko grabbed their bowls so that they didn't fall over and rolled her eyes fondly.

"Okay, everyone. Going to Earth is Tekkadan's first big job. It's time to kick some ass!" Everyone cheered around them while she just smiled and took another bite of her food.

 **XXX**

Nashiko was pretty happy when they were able to load Lucifer up without anyone being the wiser. Only Yukinojo and herself knew that he was even on their ship. She had loaded him onto their larger ship, the Isaribi because he was nowhere near battle ready yet. She'd been working non-stop at it and a lot of the stuff in the boxes worked well with it. There was a shield that she'd found stashed away that went with him as well as a large machine gun. Once both had been checked over and repaired the way they needed to be, she knew they would be a perfect fit for it.

"We're good." Akihiro said turning to Nashiko, who was in the captain's chair. She sighed and relaxed. She had a bad feeling and had told the crew of the Isaribi to get to their meeting location as soon as possible. It turned out that they were being attacked but their supposed guide who had turned them over to Gjallarhorn.

"Great. Good job Akihiro." She smiled at the boy, watching a light flush cover his cheeks. Once everyone was loaded onboard, they all went to prepare for the battle. "Get ready." She said to Dante and Chad, who were controlling the ship. They both nodded. The doors opened behind her and she didn't even have to turn around to know who it was.

"The situation?" Orga asked as he came in. She pushed off the chair, floating into the air beside it while Orga sat down and Eugene went to his station.

"The Orcus ship is still off our stern and following closely, sir." Chad said to their leader.

"They're trying to pump holes in us." Dante said from beside him.

"Let's return the favor." Orga responded. Nashiko turned her head when Shino brought in Todo with a black eye and a swollen cheek. They'd found their rat.

"Why is that ship here? We were to meet up in geosynchronous orbit." Todo said and Orga smirked.

"You never gave us a reason to trust you before so why should we now?" He asked the man. "Lock him in the closet." Orga told Shino as Kudelia and Atra came in, going over to Biscuit to watch Mikazuki fight. "Get Yamagi prepare the other one." Orga said to them.

"Hey, wait! We were going to sell that?" Biscuit asked.

"We're not going to sell anything if we die out here." He explained to the younger boy.

"He has a point." Nashiko said from where she was floating by Orga's chair, holding onto the headrest to keep from floating too far away.

"Akihiro, can I ask you to do this?" Orga asked, turning to the other. The brunette nodded. He ran out of the hanger and Nashiko leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Orga's cheek as she floated over to Biscuit to see the fight.

 **XXX**

Together, Akihiro and Mikazuki took the other Mobile Suits down one by one until a new one came out of seemingly nowhere. It was a deep purple color and one that she'd never seen before. She bit down on her thumbnail, she wanted to get involved but she knew she had to wait until she was sure that Lucifer was at one-hundred percent. Another one joined the fight; it looked similar to the one just a few minutes prior but it had a few physical differences. The ship was hit, causing everyone to hang out as it shook. Biscuit helped make a plan that Orga was going to complete until Eugene denied him the chance. They were going to anchor themselves to an asteroid and swing the ship around it to turn their course quickly so that they could face the enemy head on. It was a crazy, suicidal plan but… that seemed to be the norm for them.

"Come here Nashiko." Orga said to his girlfriend. She looked at him before nodding, floating over to him. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his lap at the last moment before the ship swung around hard. It took quite a bit of work on Eugene's part but he was able to get them free of the asteroid before they collided with it. The force swung them forward, right towards the enemy ship. As they scraped by, they fired on them. She felt Orga relax as did she. She kissed his cheek before pushing up and floating beside his head, holding onto the chair.

"Very nice work, boss." He gave her a smile before it faded.

"Where is Mika and Akihiro?" He asked Chad.

"I can detect Akihiro's machine. Mikazuki is…" He paused, trying to find it. Atra gasped before she pointed straight ahead.

"Over there." They watched Mikazuki fight the two Mobile Suits as they got closer and closer. He was able to get away and grab a hold of the ship as they passed underneath them.

 **XXX**

"Would someone get me the damn release code?!" Nashiko yelled as she and Shino tried to pry open the Mobile Worker Eugene had used in their escape plan.

"I got it." Yamagi said as he floated over. She reached over the edge and grabbed it, quickly typing it in. The doors opened a moment later. Almost instantly, Orga was up there with her, holding his hand out to Eugene.

"You had me worried for a second." He said with a smile.

"You're the one that thought up that awful plan." The blonde said back. He smiled and took Orga's hand none-the-less.

"So, you wanna handle the next one too?" Orga asked, jumping off the Worker and allowing the two to float.

"No freaking way!" Eugene yelled and everyone laughed. Nashiko turned her attention to Yukinojo.

"How are things going?" She asked and he smiled.

"Just about done. Some very minor things and I think you can surprise Orga in our next battle." He said with large smile. She chuckled.

"I'm sure he'll enjoy that." The laughed before she floated up to the Graze. She knocked on its cockpit before it opened. Akihiro was sitting inside quietly, a small smile on his face.

"You okay?" She asked, coming inside to sit on the control panel. He nodded, taking his helmet off.

"Yeah, just tired." He said. She gave him a smile.

"You did a good job." He turned his head away, a small smile gracing his feature as well as a light blush. "Come on." She said, reaching over to put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's get you out of here so that you can rest." He let out a deep breath and nodded his head. She offered him her hand and a smile. He took the offered hand and let her pull him out of the Graze.


End file.
